The last 3 months have been insane, not just because I have been licking cathedrals like never before. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles have been covered for a variety of different reasons. There have been birthdays, York City matches (including two at Wembley!), parties and even a trip over to Ireland last week. In an ironic twist I (as best man) have also been busy organising Adam’s stag do. It will be an excellent opportunity for him to get some experience of public nudity for when he loses the bet.

In the midst of all the madness it has been almost impossible to find the time to sit down and describe how I have been getting on with the cathedral challenge. Followers of the Facebook group will have learned of my progress of course, which I am pleased to say has been little short of miraculous of late. Since lick no. 33 of in Worcester on April 26th I have managed to well and truly get my arse in gear and lick 8 cathedrals, leaving only one more English Anglican cathedral standing in my way: the glorious York Minster. This is getting licked on Friday June 15th, after which there will be many a celebratory drink!

Further good news comes in the form of some media attention for the bet. A news agency will hopefully be sending a photographer on the big day to capture this very poignant lick in my home city. Where it will lead is unclear at the moment but things are looking very positive and these are exciting times. The eventual plan of course is to put it all into a book, but before that can happen there are still 20 more Anglican cathedrals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to reach before December 16th! Quite how this will be achieved is beyond me at the moment and the prospect is somewhat terrifying. How will I find the time, the money and the willpower? Where the hell are Clogher, Lisburn and the Isle of Cumbrae? These are all problems that will have to be overcome but, as my experiences so far have taught me, good things happen if you just make the effort.

Once the euphoria of claiming the English cathedral-licking title has subsided I will take a small break, then I fully intend to get writing again. Many more weird and wonderful situations have arisen on my travels to some beautiful (and some not so beautiful) locations – from dancing around a Maypole to being chased by burly cathedral security men. All of this I am eager to relate as soon as possible. The Licking Gallery and Licking Maps have been updated so that you can see which cathedrals have been tongued over the last 2 months, and which still remain untouched. Yes, it’s mad and a bit of burden at times, but the thought of Adam’s naked dash is heart-warming incentive.